Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-22

had made their wills ana lett MN notnlnS
He said that if he went West hecould get {
divorce for twenty five dollars. said ht
had better 20 and he might get two fol
twenty-five dollars.
The dresseS found in the tub were shown
the witness She identified the muslin
dress; had seen Mrs. NcWha wear it.
Mrs. McWha used false teeth; she carried
them sometimes in her pocket; witness
identified the teeth.
Cross examination-Mr Baker brought
in the clothes generally. They would
probably take them in about six or seven
If it rained. They allowed the fire to die
out after supper. Mrs. McWha always
washed dishes right after meal. think
all the washing was on the line when ]
saw it Tuesday. A scream or cry could
be heard by the neighbors. The nearest
neighbor is Mrs. Wilcox; there are three
children in the Wilcox family. They
usually kept the front door shut in the
forenoon aud opened il in the afternoon.
saw no key to this door on Tuesday.
The kitchen door was fastened by q
latch and a bolt; they were accustomed to
shut it about 9 o'clock in the evening.
The witness here described the dead baby s
clothes found in the two untouched
drawers +e--
Mrs. McWha kept a good supply OF
clothing. Their night-caps were all OF the
same material. The night dresses were
kept under the pillow during the day time.
They had dinner about twelve, and Mrs.
McWha usually took her nap about one or
two o'clock. She sometimes took her
teeth out in the daytime. We were jok-
ing in speaking about going West TO get a
divorce. can't say how he was got into
the cistern; don't know whether they took
the top Of the cistern when it rsined or
not.
wM. BROWN
called.
reside in Holidays Cove, aged seven
ty-two. Live about half mile from the
McWha house; was we'll acquainted with
the murdered women. Mrs. kCWha was
below medium size; weighed about hun
dred pounds. have assisted them in their
business wrote the will OF Mrs. Baker in
May, 1886. in their house; only Mrs Ba-
ker and Mrs. McWha were present; Mrs.
Streight and myself were witnesses. |
never saw the will afterwards have not
the draft of the will in my possession.
Q.-What provisions did she make in the
will? LQuestion objected to and objection
sustained. saw Mrs. McWha alive the
day before the murder; saw Mrs Baker
also; WAS at the house Oh the afternoon of
Monday and examined it. know Mrs
Lucy Swearingen; she was at my house OH
Monday. My wife and Mrs. Swearingen
visited the McWha house in the afternoon.
/ had heard that Mrs McWha had made a
will.
At the close Of the direct examination of
this witness Court adjourned until after
noon.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The evidence during the afternoon bore
rather hard against the prisoner, although
not directly duplicating him in the crime.
II consisted for the most part of testimony
as to remarks he had made at various
times about his wife and her family.
Baker seemed to enjoy the relation of some
OF his language, and when something more
than ordinarily little or mean was told. he
deigned 10 honor the occasion with q smile.
Court reconvened at one o'clock The
objection made in the morning session to
the reading of the will of Mrs. McWha,
was overruled by the Court The will of
Mrs. Baker, ~ remembered by Squire
Brown, was 81, 900 TO Van B. Baker. and
$500 to the Presbyterian church Mt the
Cove, the remainder going 10 Robert NJ.
Lee, in case her child died young. Other
wise, the child would be the sole heir.
MISS MAMIE WEAVER
called. In response TO questions she said:
reside about three miles from Holidays
Cove; am acquainted with the prisoner;
had several conversations with him, one
while going from Hamln's Station TO
Cross Creek; he said that Eliza had made
will before the birth of her child; il the
child lived il was to be her heir; il il did
not live $500 were 10 20 TO the church;
5000 TO a Damesake; 81 900 to himself, aud
81 900 10 Robert Lee, and various other
requests; he further said that if his child
him. This conversation took place about
three weeks before the murder of Mrs.
Baker and Mrs. McWha.
Cross-examination - Baker mentioned
her health 10 me; she had fallen away
since the death of her child, and that
trouble was causing her ill-heallh.
EVAN HINDMAN
called and sworn: live six miles from
Holidays Cove; have known the prisoner
for perhaps twenty years. saw him in the
fall of 1886 at Cross Creek Village and had
q conversation with him; he said that he
would like TO 20 out West, but that he
thought il would pay him TO stay here for
the $50 which he would get; he said
he would only remain here few years.
MRS. RUTH CAMPBELL
was the next witness. She said: ] reside
on Mrs. McWha's property; have fire.
quently visited at her house, two or three
times a week; am acquainted with the
arrangements Of her house; their wash day
was Monday; | was at home the day they
were killed: ! saw the clothes ont in the
forenoon, but did not see who put them
out the clothes stayed out two or three
days; the last time saw them alive was
just after dinner; saw number Of men
there in the morning about II o'clock;
hung my clothes ont about = or 3 o'clock
and took them in before the rain, they
being dry by that time; they were very
neat honsekeepers, and never left out
clothes in n shower; sometimes Mrs. Nc
Wha laid down for nap after dinner; ]
saw one Of them feeding chickens out
by the coop; saw the chickens;
they always put them up at
night. saw the chickens running about
on Tuesday morning. Their habit was
to get coal and kindIing in early in the
evening was there Tuesday and did
not see any kindlipg or coal 10 the box.
They never blinded the kitchen windows;
the lanbreqnins came about half way
down. On Tuesday morning the windows
were blinded, covered all mp with some
thing. Some oil cloth, Newspaper and
white shawl was hung over the windows
on Tuesday morning. had not seen the
shawl since the death Of Mrs. Bakers
sister; il was kept in the hall in trunk.
Mrs McWha was accustomed 10 put a pan
upon the window as an alarm; did not see
nything Of the kind on Tuesday morning.
The bodies had night caps on, wrong